Playing Games
by WingsOfADream
Summary: COMPLETE When Tori and Hunter become an item, they decide not to tell the others, but do they really think they'll be able to hide it forever? Rated for mentions of sex. Based on a section of Friends episodes.
1. Finding each other

Hi everyone :)  
  
This is my first ever series! It's all been one-shots before, but now it's time to commit myself and write a series. I got this idea while I was watching some old episodes of Friends, (such a shame they've stopped making them).  
Towards the end of the story, the chapters will be heavily based on a certain section of Friends episodes, (pat on the back if you can figure out the section I'm using). When I say heavily based, I mean heavily. If you're a fan of the series, you'll probably recognise the main events straight away. If that bothers you then just don't read it, I don't want any flames. And because of that, I want to make one thing clear;

I am not writing this fic to be original or to try and make people think I made up the events that happened in Friends.

When a scene from Friends comes up, I will say it isn't mine at the beginning. This is just an idea that's been playing on my mind and I thought others might like to read it. Anyway, sorry to have to whine like that, I just don't want anyone accusing me of pretending to be something that I'm not.  
The main couple of this is Tori/Hunter. I tried to make it work with several couples; Tori/Blake, Tori/Dustin, Tori/Shane, Dustin/Marah. None of them worked out exactly right though for what I want to do so I'm going for the Tori/Hunter option.  
Everything that happens in this chapter, I mostly made up. There's a tiny bit that is sort of modified from a Friends episode to make it fit the circumstances of these characters lives but it's barely noticable.  
Anyway, I've gone on for long enough and most people have probably stopped reading by now anyway. Hope you all enjoy it :)

* * *

It was mid-afternoon when Tori arrived at Storm Chargers. She had spent most of the day so far surfing and her hair was still slightly damp. She walked in casually and went straight over to the counter where Shane was serving a customer.  
  
"Okay, here you go." She heard Shane say as he handed the customer a bag. "Have a nice day." The customer walked off and Shane turned his attention to Tori. "Hey Tor, what's up?"  
  
"Not a lot." She told him, grabbing a magazine from a nearby rack. "Where's Dustin and Hunter?" She inquired as she began to idly flip through the pages.  
  
"Dustin's in the stock room and Hunter's out somewhere. Said something about having to get tickets to something." Shane explained. Tori nodded and put the magazine in her hands back with the others. "You erm...Heard from Blake at all?" Shane asked hesitantly, not sure if it was really wise to be asking her that.  
  
"No. Not for a while." Tori murmured neutraly, avoiding making eye contact with him. Blake was off touring with Factor Blue. They had both liked each other when he left but decided a long-distance relationship would be too hard. However, Tori hadn't been able to help but think that when he got back, things might develop between them. That is, until she saw the magazine article about him and how he was dating some model. Reading that had hit her hard but she'd hid it well and, although the others knew she didn't like it, they didn't know how upset she really was. It wouldn't have been so bad if it had just been a normal, everyday girl. The fact it was a model made everything ten times worse. It made her feel like she wasn't attractive enough for him. Like she wasn't...  
  
"Hey, Earth to Tori." Shane's voice interrupted her train of thought. She looked up at him and saw a worried expression on his face. She immediately changed her whole attitude and gave him a bright smile, acting like everything was fine. Shane continued to look at her carefully and he shook his head slightly. "You can't hide yourself from me Tor. What's wrong?"  
  
"Tori!" Hunter's voice called from behind her, interrupting them. Both her and Shane turned to see Hunter come in through the door, holding two tickets in his hands. "Got the tickets." He said as he shook them a little.  
  
"Great." Tori smiled, taking one off of him as Shane was called away to help a customer. "We'll finally be able to see the rest of it without being interrupted by mutant space freaks." The Martial Arts Film Festival was back and Hunter had immediately offered to take Tori again. They had grown closer since Blake had left and were pretty good friends now. Unknown to the other, they both had slight crushes on each other and would sometimes gets into tickle fights or give each other hugs when they were alone but when they were around the others, they just acted like friends. "And you might finally be able to pick up some tips." She added with a grin as she poked him in the ribs. He recolied slightly, the poke touching on a tickly spot.  
  
"That's about as funny as it was the last time you said it." Hunter told her playfully as he went to prod her side. Tori quickly moved though and batted his arm away.  
  
"I'm not about to get into a tickling war with you, the others will think somethings going on and then we'll get no end of grief." Tori said to him, inclining her head towards Shane before she began to examine her tickets. "Slightly later screening this time isn't it?" Tori pointed out, just to make conversation.  
  
"Yeah, the one's during the day are sold out." Hunter informed. "Want me to pick you up or shall we just meet there?"  
  
"That depends. You gonna pick me up on your bike?" Tori replied in a playful, sly voice. A few months earlier, Hunter had bought a motorbike. The reason he gave was that he felt guilty about having Tori drive him around all over the place but they all knew it was like a new toy to him. Tori had immediately fallen in love with it and took the oppotuntiy to ride on it with Hunter whenever she could.   
  
"You know, sometimes I think the only reason you spend time with me is because of the bike." Hunter told her in a slightly offended tone, though the grin on his face told her that he was just playing around with her. "Fine, I'll pick you up on the bike. About seven-ish?"  
  
"Yeah, seven's good." Tori agreed.  
  
"Cool. Then I'll see ya later tonight." Hunter said as he began to back away towards the stockroom.  
  
"Yeah. See ya." Tori said, nodding her head slightly. Hunter gave her one of his smiles that more resembled a smirk before dissapearing into the stock room. Tori smiled at herself a little before deciding to head home. She wasn't sure why, but she was really eager to look nice for Hunter and she knew that it was going to take forever for her to decide what to wear. She made her way out of Storm Chargers, quickly calling goodbye to Shane, Dustin and Hunter before she left.  
  
On the way home, she took a slight detour and walked along the beach. She took a deep breath and let it out as a sigh. She had a couple of things on her mind that she just felt she couldn't talk about with anyone. First, there was the insecurities about her looks that had been brought on by Blake's model girlfriend. Secondly, she was lonely. She knew how stupid it would appear to other people. She was surrounded by people everyday and had so many friends. Yet she felt something was missing. There was a part of her that no amount of friends would be able to fill. It was a part that was once filled by Blake. She knew it was sad and sounded desperate but she really wanted a boyfriend. Someone who cared about her, bought her little presants, didn't treat her like a tom-boy all the time...She doubted it would happen though. As she'd all ready found out, guys like girly girls who were models, not tom-boys who were surfers.  
  
Tori lowered her head for a moment and then raised it, her eyes now slightly shimmery with tears. With another sigh, she quickly rubbed her eyes and continued her way home.

* * *

Seven o'clock came quickly. It had taken Tori ages to find something to wear. She couldn't wear a skirt or a dress because she's be on Hunter's bike and it would just be awkward, she didn't have a decent pair of shorts, jeans seemed too casual...the list had gone on and on. Finally, she had settled for a pair of loose fitting, white chiffon trousers and a light blue, long sleeved blouse which was also made of chiffon. She looked herself over in the mirror and smoothed down the front of her blouse. She turned around and looked at her reflection over her shoulder. She had left her hair to hang loose knowing there was no point putting it up or anything because it would just look messy after she took off her motorbike helmet. She had lightly dusted her eyes with soft blue eyeshadow and her lips were covered by a thin layer of pink-tinted lip gloss. She turned back to face the mirror just before she heard her doorbell ring.  
  
"Here we go." She whispered as she left her room and walked quickly to the front door. She grabbed her bag and keys as she passed them and, upon reaching the front door, opened it swiftly. Standing there was, she had to admitt, a very well dressed Hunter. He wore an un-tucked long sleeved crimson shirt with the top two buttons and the cuffs left un-done and a pair of smart black trousers. He had his bike helmet tucked under his arm and his usual smile/smirk was on his face. "Hey Hunter." She greeted as she stepped out and locked the door behind her.  
  
"Hey." He returned, standing aside slightly. "You look really nice." He complemented as they headed towards his bike.  
  
"Thanks. You're not looking too bad yourself." She smiled. They reached his bike and she took a moment to admire it. It really was an awsome bike. The paintwork was a matalic crimson, no big surprise there, and didn't have a scratch on it. The wheels were still as shiny and un-damaged as they were when it was still brand new. Her light blue and black helmet hung from the right handle bar.  
  
"Hate to break up your moment with the bike," Hunter laughed as he threw her her helmet. "But if we don't hurry we're gonna miss the beginning of the movie." Tori caught the helmet and watched him as he put his own on and stradled the bike. She glanced at her helmet for a moment before quickly pulling it on and getting on the bike behind Hunter. They took a moment to adjust themselves and once Hunter felt Tori's arms around his waist, they sped off down the road.  
  
After a while, Hunter slowed down slightly and they continued their journey at a steady pace. Tori's grip on his waist was light and could barely be felt. Suddenly, Tori noticed that Hunter smelt a lot better than he usually did. He usually wore some awful cologne that seemed to stick right at the back of your throat the moment you smelt it. He smelt of something different now though. It was more subtle and was really familiar, but she couldn't put her finger on what it was. Although it was familiar, she knew she hadn't smelt it for a while. She realised it reminded of a doll she used to have when she was little that smelt of...Then she realised. It was baby powder! Hunter smelt like fresh baby powder. Tori held back a laugh at the thought of the dark, brooding Hunter wearing baby powder. Maybe she'd ask him what it was later, once the movie had finished.

* * *

"Man, that was a great film." Hunter said as he and Tori walked out of the movie theatre. They had managed to get there on time and hadn't missed a second. Now they headed out of the building and headed towards his bike again.   
  
"Do you ever get that horrible wobbly feeling in your legs after you've just sat through a movie?" Tori asked with a small frown as they strolled through the car park.  
  
"I've never actually got that feeling before." Hunter told her, slightly amused at her irritation. "So what do you wanna do now?" Tori looked around herself and, noticing a nearby building, grinned.  
  
"How about the arcade?" She suggested innocently. Hunter looked at her suspiciously.   
  
"Oh no, I'm not going into an arcade with you." Hunter said with a laugh, catching on to what she intended on them playing. Tori just gave him a small pouty look and he shook his head. "I'm not going in there. You'll make me play one of those stupid dancing games."  
  
"Oh well, if you don't think you can do it..." Tori said in a casual tone, intentionally leaving the sentence hanging.  
  
"Hey, I never said I couldn't do it. What, you think you can beat me?" Hunter smirked.  
  
"Well, I don't want to brag or anything but, yeah, I reckon I could kick your butt." Tori replied cockily.  
  
"Yeah right. There's no way you'd be able to keep up with me." Hunter sneered. Tori stopped in her tracks. Hunter, after realising she wasn't walking anymore, came to a stop a few steps ahead of her.  
  
"That a challenge?" She inquired with a mock seriousness. Hunter considered it a moment.  
  
"Yeah. Yeah, it's a challenge." He said in an equaly serious tone as he stepped up to her. She took a step forward so they were face to face if she tilted her head back slightly. She drew in close and looked him square in the eye. Neither flinched away at their positions and they stared straight at each other for several moments.  
  
"You're on." She whispered before quickly drawing back. She gave him a grin before heading over to the arcade. He stared after her, finding it hard to believe he had just let her persuade him into doing this. He gave a slight groan and followed her into the building.  
  
It was a typical arcade; lit mostly by the glows and flashings of the machines, loud and hot. There weren't many kids around, it being so late in the evening and was mostly filled by teenagers. Tori suddenly appeared next to him, her cupped hands filled with quarters. She gave Hunter a small nudge and led him over to the Bust-A-Move machine. They both stepped onto the platforms and Tori dropped all her quarters, except two, into her bag. She handed one coin to Hunter and slipped the other into the machine's slot. Hunter did the same. They selected their characters and waited for the game to begin.  
  
"You're going down." Tori murmured, her eyes glued to the screen.  
  
"Maybe in your dreams." Hunter retorted, his eyes also not straying from the screen. The game started and the two ex-rangers began to move in the right directions. After a few seconds, Tori stole a glance at Hunter who just happened to be looking at her at that point as well. They both started giggling and moved with more enthusiasm. Eventually, the game stopped and revealed Tori to be the winner.  
  
"Ha! What did I tell you?" Tori laughed triumphantly. "I told you I'd win."  
  
"That was just a fluke. I want a rematch." Hunter demanded through a laugh.  
  
"You've got it." Tori accepted as she pulled another two coins from her bag.  
  
They continued playing until they ran out of money. Tori had won the majority of the games but Hunter had managed to win a couple. After they left the arcade, they headed to the local market. Not many of the stalls were out that late at night, but there were a couple that were and most of the shops were still open.  
  
As they wandered down the long street, Tori looked to her side to see all the shops and their displays. Most were souvenir shops that sold cheap little things that would break the moment you got them home. Nothing really very interesting. It was nice though. The temperature was just right and she was enjoying spending time with Hunter. It was only when they passed a small super market that Tori saw something that caught her eye and made her heart begin to pound. She wandered away from Hunter and went up to the window to take a closer look at a poster for a magazine. What hit her hard was that she recognised the girl on the front cover. It was Blake's girlfriend. She read the title at the side; "I feel like I've found my soul mate..." Anna Stride tells us about her motorcross champion lover. Tori felt herself go cold and tears filled her eyes. Suddenly the evening didn't seem so nice anymore.  
  
"Tori?" Hunter's voice came from behind.  
  
"I...I think we should call it a night." She told him quickly as she turned from the window and headed back in the direction they just came from.  
  
"What?" Hunter asked in confusion. "Why? What's wrong?"  
  
"Nothing's wrong. I just want to go home." She insisted just as they reached the bike. She grabbed her helmet and pulled it on. Even though Hunter could no longer see her face, her body language told him she was seriously upset. He wordlessly put his helmet on and got onto the bike. She quickly got on with him and in moments they were speeding away.  
  
Before long, Tori realised that he wasn't going in the right direction to take her home. She contained a frustrated sob and decided it would probably be best to wait until they stopped before she yelled at him. It didn't take them long to get to where Hunter wanted them to be. He stopped on a part of the beach Tori never went to because the jagged rocks in the sea made it dangerous to surf. Hunter climbed off of the bike and pulled his helmet off before staring out at the dark sea. Tori yanked her helmet off roughly, messing up her hair badly, to reveal her slightly red and damp face. The eyeshadow had long since been washed away by the tears but there was so little in the first place that there was no trace of it around her eyes or on her cheeks.  
  
"Do you not know the meaning of I want to go home?!" Tori yelled as she threw her helmet onto the sand.  
  
"Yeah, but I thought you might want to come here though." Hunter told her casually, not bothering to look at her.  
  
"What made you think that?! I don't talk in riddles you know. When I say I want to go home, I mean I want to go home!" Tori cried heatedly. Hunter slowly turned to face her and looked at her neutraly. Tori was trying her best to glare at him but she just couldn't do it. With a sob, she let herself drop to her knees and just let the tears come out. Hunter sat down next to her and put an arm around her shoulders. She immeditaly moved closer to him and cried into his chest.  
  
"This is about Blake isn't it?" Hunter guessed as he gently stroked her hair.  
  
"I don't know." Tori admitted through her tears. He waited a moment before speaking again, giving her time to try and calm down. He heard her sniff and decided to take that as a cue to go on.  
  
"Well, something's bothering you." Hunter told her in a sympathetic and soothing voice.  
  
"Why didn't he want me?" Tori whispered meekly. "Why did he give up on me for a model?" She gave a small sniff and sat up a bit, pulling away from Hunter slightly. "I don't care that he doesn't like me, I don't care if he doesn't want to be with me. I just want to know why!" She cried desperately, holding her head in her hands. "I know it doesn't make sense! I shouldn't care, but I can't help it. Why did he pick her over me? Is it because she's better than me? Is it because she's prettier than I am? I know I don't wear skirts and dresses that often and I know that I usually don't wear make up. Maybe he wanted a real girl." She whispered sadly, fresh tears welling up in her eyes. "After all, who wants a tom-boy like me when they could have a super..." Her sentence was cut off mid-way by Hunter grabbing her and crushing his lips to her.  
  
He couldn't take it anymore. He couldn't listen to her put herself down, to hear how she really felt about herself. He couldn't believe what she was saying! Didn't she realise how beautiful she was, how much she didn't look like a tom-boy right now, how stupid Blake was to let her go. He felt Tori relax against him and took the oppotunity to deepen the kiss, gently parting her lips with his tongue. He wasn't completely sure where this had come from. Sure he found her attractive, she was a beautiful girl after all, but something inside him had just snapped when he heard how she felt and saw her look so sad. He didn't want her to be sad. He wanted her happy. He wanted her to smile and laugh and joke around with him like she usually did.  
  
After several minutes they forced themselves to seperate, both desperatly needing oxygen. Tori stared at him with wide, surprised eyes while Hunter looked at her gently. He gently cupped her cheek and rubbed his thumb over it, feeling the slight clammyness of it. She looked at him in confusion, her eyes asking him why he had done that. He gave her a weak smile that was actually a smile. It wasn't a sneer or a smirk or a grin. It was a genuine smile and Tori couldn't help but note how handsome it made him look. He scooted slightly closer to her and continued to stroke her cheek.  
  
"If it's any consolation, I think you're the most beautiful creature on the planet." He whispered gently, his other hand coming up and gently fingering a few strands of her hair. She looked at him, slightly bewildered. She would never have seen this coming in a million years. She liked it though, it was a side of Hunter she'd never seen. A kind, sensitive side that understood how she felt. She slowly lifted her hand up and gently touched his cheek. She let out a small laugh/sob and threw herself into his arms. Hunter wrapped them around her and held her tightly. He kissed the side of her head and she kissed his neck in return. They pulled back and once again looked at each other straight in the eye. They seemed to read each others thoughts because in a flash, they had pulled on their helmets, got on the bike and were darting back to Tori's apartment.

* * *

Tori's eyes slowly fluttered open. She was in bed, a stream of sunlight coming in through the window. She suddenly became aware of the warmth and touch of another persons skin against her's and an arm that was wrapped protectively around her waist. She glanced over her shoulder to meet the gaze of Hunter who was already awake. She rolled herself over so that were face to face.  
  
"Morning." Tori murmured shyly.  
  
"Morning." Hunter returned in a soft tone. There was silence for a second. "Regrets?" He inquired simply. Tori's gaze softened and she snuggled closer to him.  
  
"Only that I made a fool of myself last night. I'm really sorry, I don't usually fall to pieces like that."  
  
"You don't need to apologise." Hunter assured as he lightly rubbed her bare back. "It brought us together didn't it?"  
  
"Are we together then?" Tori suddenly asked.  
  
"I always thought last night's activities were generally done when you're with someone in that way." Hunter told her with a small laugh.  
  
"Yeah, I guess so." Tori smiled. Suddenly, she sat upright and looked at him with a panicked expression. "Oh my gosh! Did we use..."  
  
"Yes, we did." Hunter laughed as he also sat up. He gave a stretch and grinned at her. "Wouldn't have done it if I wasn't prepared." Tori looked at him with an amused suspicion.  
  
"And why were you prepared?" Tori inquired slyly. Hunter immediately looked away to hide his blush.  
  
"I...Err...Well, you see..." He stammered as he continued to look away. Tori gave a laugh as she playfully pounced on him, pushing him down back onto the bed. He looked up at her smiling face and found himself smiling as well. She lay on top of him, her arms propping her up slightly so her face hovered above his, her hair forming a curtain around his head. "You know, I never thought for a moment something like this was going to happen. I wasn't planning it or anything like..."  
  
"I know you didn't, I was just messing with you." Tori smiled, running a finger down his nose. "Did sort of come out of nowhere though didn't it?"  
  
"Yeah." Hunter agreed. "I'm glad it happened though."  
  
"So am I." She whispered as she leaned down and placed a small kiss on his lips. She let herself down onto him and rested her head on his chest. He kissed the top of her head and rested his arm on her back. "There's been something I've been meaning to ask you." Tori's voice came suddenly.  
  
"Oh yeah? What's that?" Hunter asked.  
  
"Do you use baby powder?"

* * *

There you go, there's chapter one all done and dusted. Let me know what you think and if you've got something bad to say, please be gentle. Sorry for any spelling mistakes that may have escaped me.  
  
Huggles  
Wings of a Dream


	2. Getting to know each other

Hi everyone :)  
  
Here is chapter 2. I apologise for the fact it's really short but there's some thing that they need to say and decide before the plot can continue and develop. I would've put it on the end of chapter 1 but I thought that might've made it a bit too long.  
Not much from Friends in this chapter, just the decision that they make about telling the others.  
I've got reviews :) Yay!  
  
rain : Oooo, lovely long review :) I'm so pleased you love it so much. I noticed that not a lot of stories show Hunter to be very sensitive and I thought it would be cute if he was. I'm also pleased you like the baby powder bit :)  
  
monkay-pooh : You have no idea how happy I was when I read your review :) You're one of my favourite writers on the site and to get your praise is really something for me. I'm glad you're liking it and I hope this chapter doesn't disappoint.  
  
Makia Durron : I think you were right the first time to say poor Tori. She's going to be put through a lot of embarrassing moments in the future lol.  
  
Also, I'd like to thank : Katy, CamFan4Ever, warrior of shadow, Ranger lover and malissa who all reviewed as well.  
  
That's all I have to say. Please enjoy :)

* * *

Tori and Hunter were still in bed together when it reached mid-day. They had spent the morning getting to know each other in more detail; explaining their pasts and sharing embarrassing little secrets, like the fact that it was baby powder that Tori had smelt on Hunter. At one point, Tori had managed to drag herself out of bed for about fifteen minutes to get them some breakfast which was quickly eaten since they were both rather hungry. They had put a few clothes on after a while. Hunter and put his boxer shorts back on and Tori was wrapped up in her cuddly, light blue flannel dressing gown. Now, they sat up against the back of the bed, Tori nestled in Hunter's arms while she told him about her family.  
  
"...Then my mum left my dad when I was ten so it was just me, my sister and him." She was saying as she gently ran a finger over his well tonned stomach. "It hit him pretty hard but he managed to deal with it. He looked after me and my sister really well from then on and I'll always be grateful to him. When I joined the Ninja Academy, me and dad decided it would be better if I moved here to Blue Bay Harbour since it's much closer to the academy's entrance. My dad's the one who pays the rent on this place and he sends me a cheque every month for $500 to get food, clothes and anything else I might need. Every so often he'll offer to send more but I always turn it down. Five hundred is more then enough for me."  
  
"How comes your mum walked out on you all?" Hunter questioned.  
  
"She had some guy on the side. Left to be with him." Tori told him, seemingly un-phased by what her mother had done. "I didn't know at the time, only found out when I turned fourteen, but it seems she tried to come back when she realised things weren't gonna work out. My dad didn't take it though and told her she wasn't needed or wanted. Me and my sister got birthday cards and Christmas cards with cheques inside from her every year after that but we never cashed them in. We didn't want anything to do with her and that included her money." She moved back slightly so she could look at Hunter. "Anyway, enough about my past, what are we going to do in the present?"  
  
"What do you mean?" Hunter queried, not completely sure what she was getting at.  
  
"What are we going to tell the guys?" She answered, slightly annoyed at Hunter's slowness at getting her point.  
  
"Oh." Hunter replied, slumping down slightly. He'd completely forgotten about having to tell the others. It wasn't going to be easy. There'd be awkward questions asked by all, threats about how he'd better not hurt Tori made by all, teasing from Dustin, probably a lecture or two from Cam and/or Sensei...It'd be easier just not to tell them...Not tell them? Would they be able to get away with that? "How about we don't tell them anything?" Hunter suggested. Tori gave him a funny look and a slight frown.  
  
"What? You mean we say nothing? We just don't tell them?" Tori asked in a sceptical tone.  
  
"Yeah, exactly." Hunter said nodding. He sat forward a little, getting more confident about his plan the more he thought about it. "Think about it. We don't tell the others, we don't get any grief. No awkward questions, no snide comments, no lectures. Just us, enjoying being together."  
  
"We'd have to sneak around everywhere though." Tori pointed out. "We wouldn't be able to do anything in public, not even hold hands."  
  
"You have got a point, but don't you think all the secrecy would be kind of exciting though?" He countered in a hushed, husky voice as he shuffled behind her and pulled her towards him so her back was pressed to his chest. He pulled her hair away from the side of her neck and gently kissed her. "The rush from knowing any moment we might be busted. Stealing moments together when no one's looking." He whispered in her ear, his warm breath sending chills down her spin. She gave a small shiver and leaned back against him, her eyes closing.  
  
"Well, I guess it wouldn't be so bad to keep it a secret for a little while." Tori agreed as Hunter gently nibbled her ear. She shivered again and gave a small laugh. Hunter smiled and slumped down so he could rest his head on her shoulder. Tori gently leaned her head against his and they sat there for a moment just staring at the wall in front of them. "This is going to work out isn't it?" Tori asked quietly, not shifting her gaze.  
  
"Yeah, of course it will." Hunter reassured, tightening his hug on her. "We're going to be fine." Tori smiled brightly and turned her head to kiss his cheek. Hunter turned his head as well so that he caught her lips with his just before she could kiss him. She shifted a little so she didn't have to be in such an awkward angle and the kiss deepened into a more passionate one. Hunter slowly parted Tori's dressing gown and slipped it off of her shoulders. He pulled her closer so their bare chests were pressed together, the sensation of their skin touching making Tori give a small murmur of pleasure. Just as they both started to loose their control, Tori pulled away.  
  
"Wait, what time is it?" She asked suddenly.  
  
"12:30." Hunter answered with a sigh as he glanced at his wrist watch.  
  
"What?! Oh no, I've got a class in half an hour!" She gasped as she tore herself away from Hunter, scrambled off of the bed and ran into the adjoined bathroom.  
  
Hunter couldn't help but laugh at her sudden, drastic change of mood as he swung his legs out of the bed and gathered his clothes which were scattered all over the room. He couldn't believe last night had happened. He didn't regret it at all, he was glad it had happened, he was just surprised that he was glad. Sure he'd had a slight crush on her but he'd never even considered having a relationship with her, let alone sleeping with her.  
  
Tori suddenly came out of the bathroom, light blue towels wrapped around her body and her head, and darted straight over to her wardrobe. Hunter watched in amusement as she began to frantically file through her clothes while trying to keep the towel wrapped around her body. She finally pulled out a pair of jeans and a white and blue striped tee-shirt and chucked them on the bed so they landed next to Hunter. She hurried over to a chest of drawers and pulled out some underwear before grabbing a hair brush.  
  
"Mind if I use the bathroom?" Hunter asked as she began to quickly brush her hair.  
  
"Sure, go right ahead." Tori smiled, calming down for a second while she spoke to him. He dissapeared into the bathroom and Tori took the oppotuinty to get dressed. She thought about last night's events and couldn't help but smile. Sure, it hadn't happened under the best circumstances but it had still amazing. He'd been so gentle and careful and understanding about her nerves, it being her first time. He'd told her before they had gone too far that she wouldn't be his first and, although she had been a little surprised, she had taken it well. It didn't really bother her if she was his first or not. He was truthful about it and with her now, and that's what mattered to her.   
  
As she sat down on the bed to look into her mirror it all really hit her for the first time. She and Hunter were a couple. She stopped her rushed movements and just looked at herself in the mirror which stood about a foot away from her. She looked the same as she did yesterday, but she was different inside. She didn't feel that loneliness anymore. She didn't feel those insecurities about her looks anymore. She just felt happy.  
  
After dressing completely and drying her hair she took the tray with the dirty plates that remained from their breakfast to the kitchen and quickly washed them up, knowing she wouldn't feel like doing them when she got home. Once she'd put the last plate away, she turned to head back to her room and bumped straight into Hunter who was standing right behind her. His arms immediately came around her and he held her closely.  
  
"Why were you standing so close?" Tori questioned, having the strong feeling of wanting to laugh but not knowing why.  
  
"Because I like being near you." He replied sincerely. Tori smiled and let out a happy sigh. "Want be to give you a ride?" He offered.  
  
"Nah, I'll be all right. Besides, we've gotta keep a low profile remember? Suspicious behaviour includes giving me rides when you don't usually." Tori told him, pulling away and giving him a quick kiss. She walked over to where her keys rested on the counter and grabbed them before taking Hunter's hand and leading him through the apartment to the front door. They stepped outside into the bright sunshine and Tori locked the door behind her. Hunter's bike was parked just next to Tori's van. "I'll see you later at Storm Chargers kay?" Tori asked as she turned from the door. Hunter had wandered over to his bike and was in the process of putting his helmet on. "Hey, don't I get a goodbye kiss?" She asked in a slightly pouty voice seeing his helmet was now completely covering his face.  
  
"Hey Tori!" A distant voice called. Tori and Hunter looked up to see Dustin and Shane walking towards the house, both giving her slight waves.  
  
"I guess not." She answered herself, slightly dissapointed.  
  
"I'll see you later Tor." Hunter said as he kicked up the stand and revved up the engine.  
  
"Yeah, see ya." She said just before he pulled out of the driveway and shot off down the street. She turned to Shane and Dustin as they reached her house. "Hey guys." She greeted cheerfully.  
  
"Hey." Shane said with a nod. "Was that Hunter?"  
  
"Yeah." Tori confirmed casually, like it was no big deal. "It was pretty late when he dropped me off last night. He was way too tired to drive safetly so he spent the night on the couch."  
  
"Oh, right then." Dustin said as they headed over to her van. "So, you guys ready for class? I bet you anything I get hit less times by my students than either of you do by your students."  
  
"Oh yeah? Look dude, my students have skill. They don't make mistakes and accidently hit me." Shane told him as they all climbed into the van.  
  
Tori gave a sigh as the two began to argue about who was the better teacher and who had better students. She wasn't sure if she should be happy they weren't asking her about Hunter staying the night or annoyed at their loud arguing. She started the engine and drove out of the driveway and they all headed to the academy, Shane and Dustin arguing the whole way there.

* * *

There ya go. Second chapter is all done. Like I said, sorry it's kinda short. Next one should be longer. As always, let me know what you think and if you don't like it, please be gentle about it.  
  
Huggles  
Wings of a Dream


	3. A mistake, a talk and a discovery

Hi everyone :)  
  
Here's chapter 3 for you all to enjoy. Bit of Tori/Cam friendship action in this because I don't think he's been in it enough yet and to tell the truth, he won't play as big a part in this story as Dustin and Shane.  
The bit where Hunter and Tori get found out is inspired from Friends and the whole Tori kissing thing is taken directly from Friends so I can't take any credit for that part.  
I got more reviews :)  
  
monkay-poo : Yay, you got the Friends part right. Well done lol. Yeah, I am using the bit where Monica and Chandler first get together and keep it a secret. I'm glad you're finding it interesteing. I was kinda worried when I started that, because it's not 100% orignal, people would find it boring. But you don't and that's enough for me :)  
  
I would also like to thank : CamFan4Ever, malissa, Makia Durron, Katy, Ranger lover and SHAWN PROVONCHA for all leaving me reviews :)  
  
Please enjoy this latest chapter :)

* * *

It had been several weeks since Tori and Hunter's first night together and they were still going strong. Remarkably, their relationship was still a secret. They had blamed spending extra time with each other on Hunter wanting Tori to teach him how to surf which was sort of true. Hunter had taken up surfing, mainly because Tori did it and he wanted to share in her interests. He still wasn't very good at it and fell off a lot but he didn't mind since he could usually persuade Tori to take a break from the surfing and come into the water to play with him.  
  
Over the weeks, Tori had got to know a completely different Hunter. She had discovered that he could be really romantic when he wanted to be, something she never would've thought he was capable of before. She'd also found out that he was a lot more playful than she thought as well. He'd never seemed to be the type who'd be playful but he was always messing around with her and making her laugh. She loved being with him even when they were around other people and didn't show any affection towards each other.  
  
It was now a late afternoon and everyone was at Storm Chargers. Tori, Cam, Dustin and Shane had just come back from their lessons at the academy. They all look tired and Dustin was rubbing his arm with an expression like a hurt little puppy on his face.  
  
"So how are the lessons going?" Hunter asked in a slightly amused tone as they all gathered around the counter.  
  
"Tiring." Cam said.  
  
"Frustrating." Shane put in.  
  
"Painful." Dustin grunted. "Five times I got kicked in the arm today. Five times! It felt like it was about to drop off." Hunter couldn't help but grin at Dustin's childish complaining. He looked at Tori who was leaning against the counter just in front of him and slightly to the right so he could still see the others.  
  
"How 'bout you? How are your classes going?" He asked her in a purposely casual tone.  
  
"About the same as the others." Tori told him in a tired voice. "I only got hit twice. A kick in the stomach and a blast of water in the face." Tori looked up to see Hunter frown slightly in concern. "I'm all right. I've taken much worse hits than that before." She glanced at her watch and gave a sigh. "Well, I'm gonna head for the beach. Coming down later for a lesson?" She asked Hunter.  
  
"Yeah. I get off in half an hour. I'll meet you at the beach." Hunter told her.  
  
"Kay. I'll see you later." She said and, without thinking, leaned up and gave him a full kiss on the lips. Cam, Dustin and Shane stared at them both in complete shock, their mouths dropping open slightly. Tori, realising her mistake, quickly pulled away. "Erm..." She hesitated. "I'll see you guys later as well." She said quickly as she pressed her lips to Dustin's and gave him a lingering kiss as she had with Hunter. If it was possible, Cam and Shane's jaws dropped open even more and Hunter just desperately trying to hide the look of horror on his face. Tori broke away from Dustin who slowly opened his eyes to stare at her in surprise. She quickly went over to Shane and gave him the same kiss as did she with Cam, the eyes of the others not leaving her as she went to each of them. After that, she pratically ran out of the shop, her face burning an intense shade of red.  
  
"Dude, what was that about?!" Shane gasped as he looked at them all shock.  
  
"I tell you, I have known Tori since I was five and I have never seen her act like that before." Dustin said as he pointed to the door where Tori had left out of. They all stood there in silence for a while before Shane suddenly clapped his hands together and grinned.  
  
"Ah, I know why she did it." He told them smugly.  
  
"You do?" Hunter asked slightly nervously, worried that he and Tori had just been found out.  
  
"Yeah. Dude, it's so obvious. She's got a thing for me." He concluded with an arrogant laugh.  
  
"Dude! Ego much?" Dustin laughed. "Besides, you've already tried that and it never worked remember? It's obvious that she's after someone new." He told him. "Like me." He added, running a hand through his hair.  
  
"You? You've got to be kidding!" Shane laughed. He and Dustin began to argue about who it was Tori liked while Cam approached Hunter.  
  
"You have any idea what that was all about?" Cam asked him, his tone slightly concerned.  
  
"Not a clue." Hunter lied, feigning ignorance. "You sound worried though." He noted.  
  
"It was just so unlike her." Cam told him, frowning slightly. "Do you reckon it might have had something to do with Blake?"  
  
"Blake?" Hunter repeated, genuinely surprised that Cam would link it back to his brother.  
  
"Yeah. I mean, she did take that news about him dating that model pretty hard, even if she didn't want to admitt it to us." Cam explained as they looked at Shane and Dustin who had grabbed Kelly and were asking her who she thought was a more desirable boyfriend. "Maybe the fact that it is a model he's with has made her feel unattractive or something and she's just trying to make herself seem more appealing." Hunter was at a loss for words at how close Cam was to the truth about how Tori felt.  
  
"Hey Hunter, you wanna quit for the day now?" Kelly interrupted as she carried a box passed the counter, Shane and Dustin trailing not too far behind.  
  
"Really? Thanks Kel." He said. Just as he was about to head to the door, Cam put a hand on his shoulder to hold him back.  
  
"I'm really worried about Tori." Cam told him quietly. "Do you think you could have a talk with her some time today? See if she'll open up to you at all."  
  
"Sure thing." Hunter agreed with a nod. Cam nodded as well and patted his shoulder before letting his hand drop away. Hunter quickly dashed out of the door and headed straight to the beach.

* * *

Tori let out a small cry as she lost her balance and crashed into the water. She came up with a gasp a few seconds later and held herself up on her board. She was having trouble concentrating. She just couldn't get over the embarrassment of what she had done just before leaving Storm Chargers. It was just the first thing that popped into her head and she acted on it in desperation. Now Shane, Dustin and Cam probably thought she was insane or something and she didn't even want to think about what Hunter thought about her.  
  
She gave a sigh and rested her head on the top of her board for a moment. She eventually raised her head and looked towards the beach just in time to see Hunter come into view. She quickly swam to the shore and ran up to him. She stopped a few feet away and studied him for a second to see if he was mad at her. He did look rather annoyed and she was about to start a huge long apology when his frown cracked into a huge grin and he began to laugh. Tori frowned at him and put her hands on her hips as he cracked up laughing.  
  
"And what is so funny?" Tori muttered, tapping her foot on the sand.  
  
"You are." Hunter managed to choke out through his laughs. "You should have...Seen the look...On your face just now! You looked...So...You looked so..." He couldn't finish his sentence because of his laughter as he bent over and held his stomach. Tori continued to glare at him but soon found herself holding back laughter as well. Hunter managed to calm down a little before walking over to her. He looked at her for a second before a fresh batch of laughter came out and he was once again doubled over, holding his stomach. Tori couldn't hold it back anymore and joined him in his contagious hysterical laughter. They both let themselves drop onto the sand as they continued to laugh. Several people who walked past gave them some odd looks but they didn't notice and if they had, they wouldn't have cared.  
  
After a few minutes of laughing until they cried, they both managed to calm down and now just sat there calmly, Tori's head leaning on his shoulder, looking out to sea.  
  
"What did the guys think?" Tori asked quietly, feeling tired out from all the laughing.  
  
"Dustin and Shane think you did it because you like them." Hunter told her with a grin as he put his arm around her shoulders.  
  
"Dude, ego much?" Tori mumbled, unknowingly echoing Dustin's earlier words. Hunter gave a smile.  
  
"Cam was taking it a little more seriously though." He told her, gently running his fingers through her damp hair. "He thinks maybe it was because you were having insecurities about your attractiveness and were trying to make yourself more appealing."  
  
"Hmm. If he had said that two months ago I would have started to think he was a psychic or something." Tori smiled, thinking about how well that would have described her before she and Hunter joined together.  
  
"Do you mean that?" Hunter asked suddenly. Tori looked up and gave him a questioning look. "About it being true if it was two months ago. About it not being true now."  
  
"Yeah." She whispered dreamily, shuffling closer to Hunter. "Some times I still don't feel great about myself...But then I see you, and I remember that it doesn't matter if I don't look like a super model, because you're with me." Hunter beamed down at her and kissed the top of her head. He didn't say anything, he just pulled her closer. It wasn't often that they gave each other extravagant compliments or spurted out their feelings dramatically. They didn't need to. One knew how the other felt and there was no need for words. Neither had actually said those three special words out loud yet, but they both somehow knew it was how the other felt about it. "Do you want to stay the night?" Tori questioned, tilting her head back to look at him. Hunter gave her a warm smile and gently kissed her lips. He stood up and offered her his hand and, when she took it, he pulled her to her feet. Hunter grabbed her surfboard and her bag and, still holding hands, they slowly strolled off of the beach and to Tori's apartment.

* * *

"Cam-Sensei!" A call came from the top of the stairs leading to Ninja Ops. Cam turned away from the Super Computer to face the entrance where a Water pupil, a young girl called Lynn, came rushing in. "Cam-Sensei..." She managed to gasp out through her laboured breaths. "It's Tori-Sensei. I think she's really hurt!"  
  
"What happened?" Cam asked worridly as he got up from his chair and jogged over to Lynn. "Is it serious?"  
  
"No, Lynn is just totally over-reacting as usual." Tori's voice came. They both looked to the entrance to see Tori being helped down the stairs by two of her older students. "I think it's just a twisted ankle, but if you could take a look just to make sure." She explained as she was helped further into the room.  
  
"Sure." Cam said as he went over to her and took her from her students. He ducked under her arm and helped her to stand.  
  
"Thank you both for helping me." She said to the older students. "And you Lynn, try not to over react next time. I told you I was fine."  
  
"Sorry Sensei." Lynn apologised, bowing slightly.  
  
"It's all right Lynn. Just try to calm yourself down and not panic so much." Tori reassured. "You're all dismissed. Go and join the rest of the class." All three of her students bowed to her before quickly heading out of Ninja Ops. Once she was sure they were gone, Tori let out an annoyed, tired sigh and shook her head. "Please tell me I wasn't as frustrating as Lynn when I first started here." She asked Cam.  
  
"Sorry, you were just like her." Cam informed with a small laugh. Tori gave a groan of embarrassment.  
  
"Remind me to say sorry to your dad the next time I see him." She said as she sat down on the edge of the table. There was a brief silence as Cam knelt in front of her and gently pulled the boot off of her injured foot. Her ankle was seriously swollen and looked really red.  
  
"Ooo, that's pretty badly swollen." Cam observed, wincing on her behalf. He stood up and went over to where the First Aid kit was. "What happened?" He inquired as he came back over with the kit and pulled out a big roll of bandage and a small pair of scissors.  
  
"A student flipped me incorrectly while we were sparing and I landed awkwardly." She told him, wincing a little as he gently squeezed her puffy ankle.  
  
"Sorry." He said when he noticed that had hurt her. "It must have been one seriously meesed up flip." He said as he began to wrap the bandage around her ankle.  
  
"Yeah." Tori agreed with a laugh. "That Chrissie has got a lot of potential, she just needs to work on her technique." Soon, the bandage was securely wrapped and fastened around her ankle. "Thanks Cam."  
  
"No problem. Try to stay off of it as much as possible though. It'll take a few days for the swelling to go down but don't stop using the bandage until the pain is more or less gone. You'll need the support it gives." Cam instructed as he helped her put her boot back on. "I'll arrange cover for your classes until it's fully healed."  
  
"Hey, some time off." Tori smiled. "I guess this has some advantages." Cam smiled at her before suddenly looking serious. Tori's smile faded and she looked at him with a slight confusion. He remained kneeled in front of her and took her hand in a reassuring hold.  
  
"Did Hunter talk to you yesterday?" Cam asked her gently.  
  
"Erm..." Tori hesitated slightly, unsure of how to act. "Yeah. Yeah, he talked to me." She settled for eventually.  
  
"And?" Cam prompted kindly, gently rubbing her hand with his thumb.  
  
"He...Made me feel a lot better." Tori answered truthfully, but vaguely. She was really surprised with Cam's behaviour at the moment, it was so uncharacteristic of him really and she knew he was worried about her, but she hadn't realised it was bothering him this much.  
  
"Good." He said, a smile reappearing on his face. "You know Tori, you don't have to keep everything bottled up. If you don't want to talk to any of the others, you can always come talk to me." Tori gave him a shy smile and felt tears pricking the back of her eyes. He was being so nice.  
  
"Thanks Cam. For being here for me." She said as she pulled him into a hug.  
  
"Oh, sorry. Are we interrupting something?" Dustin's voice came from the entrance. Tori and Cam pulled away and turned to see Dustin and Shane standing just at the bottom of the stairs.  
  
"No, you're not interrupting anything." Cam told them in his slightly condesending tone.  
  
"We just came to see if Tori was okay." Shane told them, looking towards Tori.  
  
"Yeah, I'm fine. Just a twisted ankle. I've got to keep off of it for a while though." Tori explained.  
  
"Does that mean you don't have to teach your class?" Dustin gasped. "Dude, you're so lucky. I'd do anything for a vacation right now."  
  
"Quit complaining Dustin." Cam chided. "Would you guys mind driving Tori home? She won't be able to drive with her ankle the way it is."  
  
"Sure thing." Shane agreed, going over to Tori and helping her up. "We've finished our classes for the day now anyway." Dustin came over and ducked under Tori's left shoulder to help her walk. They headed towards the stairs and Shane lingered back for a moment with Cam. "Hey dude?"  
  
"Yeah?" Cam replied as he walked back to the computer.  
  
"I saw the hug you were in just now. You don't reckon that whole thing yesterday was because she's got a thing for you do you?" Shane questioned. Cam just gave him a bored look before shaking his head and turning to the computer. Shane took that as a no and quickly dashed up the stairs to catch up with Dustin and Tori.

* * *

An hour later, Dustin and Shane were helping Tori into Storm Chargers. Not wanting to just spend her time at home being bored, Tori had insisted on going with them as they worked their shifts. They pointed out that neither of them would be able to take her home again but she knew Hunter would want to take her home anyway, so she just casualy told them that she was sure she could persuade their other friend to give her a lift.  
  
"Hey guys." Kelly greeted them as they all came in. She held a pile of wetsuits in her arms. "Everything okay?" She asked when she saw Tori was being helped by Shane and Dustin.  
  
"Twisted ankle." Tori told her as Shane disappeared to find her a chair, knowing Tori would get bored sitting on her own away from them all. "Tripped and fell awkwardly."  
  
"Ooo. Is it bad?" Kelly questioned.  
  
"Yeah, pretty bad." Tori nodded.  
  
"That sucks. Hope it heals soon." She said before heading in to the stock room. Just as Hunter came out. "Hey Hunter." She smiled happily, very pleased to see him.  
  
"Hey guys." He replied, also smiling. He noticed Tori's arm around Dustin's neck and his around her waist and frowned a little. "You okay?" He questioned Tori.  
  
"Twisted my ankle really badly in class today. Have to keep off of it." Tori explained, trying to shift herself into a more comfortable position.  
  
"Found a chair!" Shane called triumphantly as he suddenly appeared by her side. He put the chair down by the counter and Dustin gently helped her to lower herself down, ignoring her as she protested that she could do it herself.  
  
"How did you do it?" Hunter asked, finding it hard to resist the urge to fuss over her.  
  
"Aw man, you should have seen it. She was flipped by a student and we were all like, 'woah!' and then when she hit the floor we were all like, 'ouch!'. Looked really impressive when she was falling..." Dustin laughed but trailed off when he noticed the others didn't share his enthusiasm.  
  
"Shane, Dustin, could you come and give me a hand?" Kelly's voice came from the stock room.  
  
"We'll be right back." Shane said as he and Dustin disappeared through the door to the stock room.  
  
"Want me to take you home?" Hunter asked, kneeling down to her eye level.  
  
"That's the plan." Tori told him with a smile.  
  
"I'll go tell Kelly." He smiled, giving her a quick, discreet kiss on the cheek and heading into the stock room. He soon came back and wordlessly helped her to her feet and took her out to her van. They both got in, Tori on the passenger side, Hunter in the driving seat, and Tori handed him the keys. Before he took them, he just held her hand for a moment. She smiled at him and they leaned towards each other and met in a sweet kiss. They parted after a few minutes and Hunter started the van and they drove off.

* * *

A week and a half later and Tori's ankle was almost completely better. She had enjoyed having some time off of teaching and had spent most of her time at Storm Chargers, keeping Hunter company on his breaks. At the moment, she was sitting watching the TV in the corner where all the seats were but she was getting bored. She looked over across the store and saw Kelly come out of the stock room and Hunter go in. A wicked grin spread across her lips as she got up and limped over to the stock room door. She slipped inside and shut the door behind her. Hunter was standing over near the back and she silently creeped up behind him, planning to surprise him.  
  
"I know you're there." Hunter grinned, not turning to face her.  
  
"How? I wasn't making a sound." Tori said, her tone reflecting her annoyance at being caught out.  
  
"You're not the only ninja in this stock room." He told her with a smirk as he turned to face her. "What are you doing in here anyway? Employees only or didn't you see the sign on the door?"  
  
"Well, it's just that you all seem to come in here so often, I guessed there must be something more exciting than just stock in here." She told him slyly as she stepped right up to him and wrapped her arms around his waist. Hunter smiled down at her and tilted her head back. He bent down slightly and their lips met in a heated kiss. They began to loose themselves, Hunter leaning against one of the shelves behind them and slipping his tongue between Tori's lips. Tori gave a small moan as their tongues intertwined. They were totally lost to the world and as far as they knew, they were the only one's on Earth at that moment...Which is a shame really, because if they had been paying attention, they would have heard the door open.  
  
"Dude!" A voice suddenly exclaimed loudly, snapping the couple out of their trance. They seperated immediately and their heads snapped towards the door.

* * *

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO, CLIFFHANGER!!!!! I can just hear the groans of frustration :) I myself hate cliffhangers so as revenge to anyone who's written a cliffhanger and is reading this, I give you a cliffhanger! MUAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA...cough cough. Anyway, it's not much of a cliffhanger, I think it's pretty obvious who it is who's just busted our favourite couple...or is it? You'll just have to wait and see if you've guessed right :)  
Catch you guys later ;)  
  
Huggles  
Wings of a Dream


	4. Secrets and plans

Hi everyone :)  
  
Here is chapter 4. I'm sorry that this is another short one but I couldn't find any way around it. I tried padding it out but that didn't turn out so well and it was really obvious it was just padding.   
Anyway, it's all gettting so exciting now isn't it? :) I'm glad you're all enjoying it and I love reading all of your reviews. Speaking of reviews, I'd like to thank everyone who's reading this even if you haven't left reviews. And to those who have, I have some replies :) :  
  
monkay-pooh : Glad you liked the whole kissing thing. A lot of people did. I thought at first it seemed a bit rushed but I guess I was just being paranoid lol.  
  
Makia Durron : So you think it's Blake do you? I have to admitt, I didn't expect anyone to come up with that. Are you right though? You'll have to read to find out .  
  
Also, thank you to Ranger lover, malissa, huntergrl13, CamFan4Ever and Moonlit Sea for all reviewing :)  
Okay, the agreement to keep it all secret is from Friends and the whole underpants idea is taken directly from Friends so I can't take credit for the idea. I've written it so it happens a little differently though so it's not identical. Erm...That's about all of it I think.  
  
So now, it's time to answer the question on everyone lips...Who is it that's just busted Tori and Hunter? And the answer is...

* * *

"Dustin!" Tori gasped as she saw her oldest friend standing by the door with his jaw pratically touching the floor.  
  
"Oh my God!" Dustin gasped as he turned and dashed out of the room.  
  
"Dustin! Wait!" Hunter called as he dashed out of the stock room. He came into the store just as he saw Dustin quickly heading for Shane. "Dustin!" Hunter said as he grabbed his friend by the waist and pulled him back to the stock room. Once inside, he let Dustin go but stood in front of the door so he couldn't run out again.  
  
"You!" He gasped, pointing to Hunter. "And you!" He gasped again, this time pointing at Tori. "When...Why...What were you doing?!" He settled for asking after stammering over what he was going to say.  
  
"I think it's pretty obvious really." Tori told him, feeling extremely embarrassed.  
  
"But...Why were you doing it?" Dustin questioned, still totally confused.  
  
"Because we're together." Hunter answered.  
  
"Since when?" Dustin asked, his voice coming out as a surprised sqeak.  
  
"It's been about two months now." Tori told him.  
  
"Two months? You mean, you've been an item for two months and you never told us?" Dustin concluded, his tone still surprised.  
  
"We didn't want any hassle." Tori told him quietly. "We didn't want to have to deal with the questions and the jokes and anything else you'd all throw at us." She paused a moment. "And we still don't." She told him seriously. Dustin looked at her and then Hunter and caught on to what they meant.  
  
"You mean I'm not allowed to tell anyone?!" Dustin gasped. "I have to keep something this big to myself?"  
  
"Please Dustin?" Tori pleaded, walking over to him and taking his hand. "We're not ready to tell the others yet." Dustin looked at her sad eyes and felt all resistance just melt away.  
  
"Okay, I won't tell anyone. Now would you stop looking at me like that?" Dustin sighed, aware of the challenge this was going to be. Tori beamed up at him and gave him a quick kiss on his cheek. That reminded him of the day she had kissed them all at Storm Chargers. "It was because of you." Dustin realised, pointing at Hunter. "You're the reason Tori kissed us all that day. She was trying to cover up the fact that there was something between you two." He paused for a moment and thought. "You haven't been giving him surfing lessons either have you?"  
  
"Now that I have been doing." Tori told him. "He only took it up as an excuse for us to spend time together without you guys getting all suspicious though." Dustin ran a hand through his hair and gave a sigh.  
  
"Wow." He murmured. "Well, I mean, this is great. I'm really happy for you both." He said with a smile.  
  
"Thanks." Tori said smiling at him. "It is great isn't it?" She said as Hunter came up to her and pulled her into a deep kiss.  
  
"Aw, dude! Just because I know doesn't mean I wanna see that!" Dustin cried as he quickly dashed out of the store room. Hunter and Tori seperated and looked at each other before both bursting out into a fit of giggles.

* * *

Another week passed and Dustin remained the only one who knew about Hunter and Tori. It was now a Friday night, the rangers official Lets-All-Watch-Movies-And-Eat-Pizza-Until-We-Fall-Asleep night. It was Tori's turn to host the night this time and she and Hunter dashed around her apartment getting food prepared and arranging the seating in the most effective way so everyone could see the TV.  
  
While Hunter sorted out the furniture, Tori was in the kitchen knelt in front of her oven, a pair of blue oven mitts covering her hands. She opened the oven door and reached inside just as the front door bell rang.  
  
"Hunter!" Tori called from the kitchen.  
  
"Yeah?" Hunter replied as his head appeared around the side of the door.  
  
"That'll be the guys. Could you get the door for me? I've got my hands full of pizza." She said as she pulled two pizzas out of the oven.  
  
"On it." Hunter said as his head disappeared. Tori put the pizzas on the counter next to her to cool for a second and quickly dashed over to the microwave where the popcorn was done popping. She heard the voices of her friends in the living room and cringed slightly as Shane asked Hunter why he was already here. She pulled the popcorn out of the microwave and looked around for a bowl to put it in.  
  
"Hey Tori." Cam greeted as he appeared at the doorway.  
  
"Hi Cam." Tori smiled, turning to him for a second. "Could you do me a favour? Could you get the big blue bowl out from the cuboard there?" She requested, pointing to where she meant with her foot. Cam did as she asked and put the bowl on her table once he had it. Tori pulled one of her oven mitts off with her teeth and ripped open the popcorn packet before pouring the contents into the bowl. "So what movies did you guys bring?" She inquired as she dashed back over to the pizzas.  
  
"Dude, Where's My Car." Dustin's voice came as he also stepped nto the kitchen and snatched a handful of popcorn from the bowl.  
  
"Again?" Tori groaned as she slid a pizza onto a plate.  
  
"It's all good movie!" Dustin justified. "Besides, I haven't seen it as many times as Cam's seen The Ring."  
  
"You haven't brought it again have you?" Tori asked as she pulled another pizza from the oven.  
  
"Hey, if we have to watch Dude, Where's My Car again, I don't see why we can't watch The Ring again." Cam protested.  
  
"Is it the Japanese version?" Tori inquired as she concentrated on cutting the pizzas into slices.  
  
"It always is." Dustin answered for Cam. "At least it's got sub-titles this time. I had no idea what was going on the last time we watched it and the dubbed version was just bad."  
  
"Hey, that's a lot of food." Shane grinned as he and Hunter entered the kitchen. "Oooo, pineapple and ham pizza." He gushed as he walked over to the table which had several pizzas on it and went to sit down.  
  
"Oi!" Tori said as she looked over her shoulder at Shane. "No eating the pizza until we're watching the movies." Shane didn't reply because he was staring at the chair in confusion. Tori noticed his silence and turned to him completely. "Shane? Everything okay?"  
  
"Tori?" He said slowly. "Who's are these?" He asked as he pointed to something on the chair. Everyone in the room gathered around and Tori and Hunter almost died at what they saw. A pair of Hunter's black boxer shorts just sat there in the chair. Tori's mouth dropped open and she stared at the chair in horror. She took a quick, discreet glance at Hunter who seemed to be just as horrified and had a faint, embarrassed blush tinging his cheeks. Tori looked up to see Shane and Cam looking at her for an answer and Dustin just looking uncomfortable. "Well Tor? Who's are they?" Shane questioned again.  
  
"Erm..." Tori hesitated, desperately trying to think of a plausable explanation.  
  
"They're mine." Dustin suddenly spoke up. Everyone stared at him with wide, surprised eyes. "I asked Tori if she wouldn't mind doing my laundry for me since she was doing hers that day. I guess these must have got mixed in and fallen out."  
  
"Really?" Shane asked, turning to Tori. It took a moment for Tori to take in the information and she just stared at Dustin in shock.  
  
"Yeah, really." She replied eventually, her head snapping in his direction.  
  
"Kay then." Shane said slowly, finding this all really weird. "Could you get them out of here then Dustin?" Tori and Hunter almost let out cries of "No!" and Dustin went back to looking uncomfortable.  
  
"Oh, I'll do it." Tori said casually as she went for them hoping to save her friend frm the uncomfortable situation.  
  
"Eww, gross Tor." Shane said as he wrinkled his nose. "I wouldn't touch Dustin's boxers even if I had steel oven mitts on."  
  
"No, it's okay Tor." Dustin said somewhat reluctantly. "I've got them." Tori and Hunter watched in awe as Dustin very carefully picked up the offending article of clothing by the very tip of the waist band with his thumb and index finger only. He then very quickly headed out of the room, holding them as far away from himself as possible. They all stood there for a second in silence.  
  
"I'll be right back." Hunter said quickly as he ran out of the room. He saw Dustin disappear into Tori's room and quickly followed him in there. He stepped in and closed the door behind him. He faced Dustin to see him throw the boxers on the floor and begin to wipe his hands on his shirt and shake them around.  
  
"Don't EVER make me do something like that again!" Dustin said, taking a second to jab a finger at him before continuing to wipe his hands. "Dude, that was so gross."  
  
"Thanks Dustin." Hunter said sincerely. "We really appreciate it." Dustin stopped his actions and looked at him for a moment before sighing.  
  
"Don't mention it." Dustin muttered. "I know how much you guys want this all to be between the three of us." Dustin headed towards the door and opened it. "Like I said, just don't make me do anything like that again." He reminded as they headed out of the door and back to the others who had settled in front of the TV. Dustin sat on the floor with his back leaned against a table while Hunter took a seat next to Tori.  
  
"Is he mad?" Tor whispered to Hunter as he sat down.  
  
"No, it's all okay." He whispered back before grabbing the bowl of pocorn away from Shane just as the movie began.

* * *

A month passed and the secret was still secret. Dustin had covered for Tori and Hunter several times including one time which turned out so badly the three had made a pact to never mention again. Things were going so well...Which is probably why their caution had began to slip. Tori and Hunter began taking chances and because of this, it was only a matter of time before they were found out...  
  
"Dustin?" Hunter said as he came up to his friends side. It was late afternoon and Hunter had another hour before his shift at Storm Chargers was meant to end.  
  
"Let me guess, you want me to cover for you?" Dustin concluded as he tightened a part of his dirt bike.  
  
"Do you mind?" Hunter asked. Dustin looked at him for a moment before sighing.  
  
"Nah, I guess not." Dustin shrugged as he wiped his hands clean.  
  
"Thanks bro, I owe you." Hunter smiled as he patted his shoulder before dashing out the door. He found Tori outside standing by her van. He walked up to her and pulled her into a hug. "Hey you." He breathed and he bent down slightly so he mouth was just next to her ear.  
  
"Hey yourself." Tori laughed a little as she wrapped her arms around his neck. He gently kissed her neck making her shiver in pleasure and her eyes flutter shut. Suddenly, she pulled away slightly and looked around. "What are you doing? Someone will see us!"  
  
"Unless Shane has developed X-ray vision, I think we'll be all right." Hunter told her as his lips found hers in a hot kiss. Giving up, Tori eagerly kissed him back and let her eyes drift close. Un-known to either of them, on the other side of the street stood a very surprised friend of theirs.   
  
Cam stared at them in disbelief. Was that Hunter and Tori? Well, that was definately Tori's van they were by and they are wearing blue and crimson clothes, but...Nah, there's no way that could be Hunter and Tori. Okay, they had become much better friends over the past few months and they spent a lot more time together but surely they couldn't like each other that much! The couple seperated and Cam saw their faces and then there was no doubt about it. That was Hunter and Tori! He watched them get into her van and drive off before he dashed across the road and headed straight into Storm Chargers. Once inside he went straight over to Dustin and Shane over by the work shop  
  
"Hey Cam." Dustin said as he turned around from his bike. "What are you doing here?"  
  
"I thought I'd take a little break." Cam answered quickly. "Anyway, that's not the important thing at the moment. You won't believe what I just saw."  
  
"What?" Shane asked earnestly. "It wasn't some sort of monster was it, because I have no clue how we'd fight it with our powers gone."  
  
"No, it wasn't an attacker. It was Hunter and Tori." Cam told them with an uncharacteristic amusement.  
  
"So? We see them everyday." Shane told him with a shrug while Dustin began to suspect the worst.  
  
"Yeah, but you don't see them kissing everyday." Cam told him in a hushed tone. Shane gaped at him in astonishment while Dustin tried his best to look surprised.  
  
"They were kissing?!" Shane gasped quietly. "No way dude. It must have been someone else you saw."  
  
"I saw their faces and they drove away in Tori's van. It was them all right." Cam confirmed.  
  
"Woah, I'd have never seen this coming. I wonder how long it's been going on now." Shane mused, shaking his head slightly.  
  
"It's been about three months now." Dustin told him before gasping and clapping his hand over his mouth. He'd blown it.  
  
"You already know?" Shane asked, very surprised.  
  
"I found them in the stock room about a month ago. They asked me not to tell you guys, it was out of my hands." Dustin explained.  
  
"Why didn't they want us to know?" Cam questioned him.  
  
"They said they didn't want the hassle we'd give them." Dustin informed. Shane and Cam frowned slightly silently saying 'as if we would hassle them'. Dustin picked up on their meaning and frowned at them both. "Don't get all offended. They do have a point, you have to admitt it. Shane, you'd go into big brother mode, Cam, you'd probably give them a lecture and I'd probably keep making jokes about them. Even if you don't want to admitt it to yourselves, they had good reason not to want to tell us." Neither Shane or Cam spoke for a minute.  
  
"Still, we had a right to know." Shane insisted stubbornly. Suddenly, he seemed to get an idea and a sly grin appeared on his face. "You know what? They don't know that we know. So, I think we should have a little fun with them as payback for not telling us. Dustin," he said looking at his friend. "You're not allowed to tell either Tori or Hunter that we know."  
  
"What?!" Dustin exclaimed. "Dude, I've just got rid of one secret and now you're giving me another one? This is so unfair."  
  
"What are you planning to do?" Cam asked Shane as they both ignored Dustin's grumblings.  
  
"You know that day when she kissed us all?" Shane said, seemingly making it up as he went along. "What if I pretend to like her and I think she likes me as well because of that kiss?" He nodded his head at his own question. "Yeah. Yeah, that would work." He motioned for Cam and Dustin to come closer to him. They all huddled and Shane grinned at them both. "Okay, this is what's going to happen..."

* * *

OH MY GOD!!!! Cam knows! Shane knows! Dustin has to keep another secret! What's gonna happen next?! I'm sure most of you probably know but I don't care, I'm doing this for the people who haven't watched Friends before :) Did everyone guess who it was that walked in on Hunter and Tori? Bet you're kicking yourself if you didn't :)  
  
Anyway, I'll be back with a new chapter before you know it :) Until then, bye bye :)  
  
Huggles  
Wings of a Dream


	5. And the game begins

Hi everyone :)  
  
I have returned bearing the gift of chapter 5. We're coming to the end of this journey now :( I do, however, have an idea for a sequel. Anyone out there interested in a sequel? It won't be based on anything like this was, it'll all be from my own sugar-coated imagination so bear that in mind lol. Anyway, review time :) :  
  
I'd like to thank Moonlit Sea, Ranger lover, CamFan4Ever, Makia Durron, huntersgrl13, RaeTucker and the infamous monkay-pooh for all reviewing. Thank you :)  
  
Okay, the whole flirting scenario is from Friends but the conversations that take place during the flirting I made up. So, idea not mine, actual way it's written is mine.  
  
Please enjoy this chapter and please remember, for your own safety, please keep your hand firmly attached to your mouse :)

* * *

"Hey Cam." Tori smiled as she walked into Storm Chargers the next day. "Have you seen Hunter? We've got a lesson arranged."  
  
"He's in back as far as I know." Cam told her. She nodded and leaned on the counter.  
  
"So, where's Dustin and Shane?" She inquired, just trying to make conversation while she waited for Hunter to appear.  
  
"I think Dustin's with Hunter in back and Shane is standing right behind you." Cam told her as he inclined his head over her shoulder. Tori turned around to be faced with a dreamy eyed Shane.  
  
"Oh, hey Shane." She said. He continued to gaze at her dreamily and Tori gave a small, nervous laugh. "Erm...You okay?"  
  
"I'm great." Shane told her happily. "I'm always great when you're around." Cam surpressed a laugh and Tori was at a loss for words for a moment. "Here, I brought you flowers." He said as he handed her a small bunch of wild flowers. She took them and stared at him for several moments.  
  
"O...Kay...Thanks." She said after a while. She glanced at Cam who had a completely natural look on his face now. She looked to her side to see Dustin and Hunter come out from back.  
  
"Hey Tori." Hunter smiled as he saw her. He looked at the flowers in her hand and at Shane who was still gazing dreamily at her and frowned a little. "What's going on?"  
  
"Tori was just about to take me to the beach and teach me how to surf." Shane told him in a soft, goofy voice. Hunter's mouth dropped open and Tori just looked surprised.  
  
"I was?" She managed to get out, her mind unable to make sense of what was going on.  
  
"That's not a problem is it?" Shane asked suddenly, his tone changing from mushy to slightly challenging. "I mean, there's no reason why you can't, right?" Tori looked at him for a second before frowning slightly. The frown quickly disappeared though and was replaced by a smile.  
  
"No, there's no problem. Lets go." She said, turning to leave. She threw Hunter an I'll-meet-you-later glance before she left the store, Shane trailing not too far behind her.  
  
"What, the HECK, was that about?" Hunter hissed angrily in Dustin's ear once Tori and Shane had left.  
  
"Search me." Dustin said as he quickly went to busy himself with his bike.

* * *

Three hours later and Hunter and Dustin were at the track racing each other. Hunter was really annoyed and it could be seen in his riding. He was going recklessly fast and taking un-necessary risks. After they had finished a race they came to a stop after the last jump of the course. Hunter yanked his helmet off angrily and ran a hand through his hair in frustration. Dustin took his helmet off a lot more carefully and looked at his friend worridly. The way he was riding, he was just asking for an accident. Maybe he should tell him that Shane was only messing around before he errupted like a volcano.  
  
"Guys!" They heard Tori voice call. They turned around to see Tori running towards them quickly, her hair still slightly damp. Hunter immediately got off of his bike and ran over to meet her.  
  
"What was all that stuff with Shane about?" Hunter demanded heatedly just as Dustin joined them.  
  
"Hey, don't take that tone with me. It wasn't my fault!" Tori told him in the same way a mother would scold her child, prodding his chest which seemed to dramatically calm his temper. "He just hands me a bunch of flowers and suddenly starts flirting with me. Then, when we're at the beach, he brings up that whole kissing thing. Says that I must like him as much as he likes me otherwise I wouldn't have done it." She gave a sigh and rubbed her face tiredly. Hunter looked at her sympathetically.  
  
"I'm sorry I yelled." Hunter apologised quietly like a child who'd just been punished. Tori glared at him for a second before letting out another sigh and pulling him into a hug.  
  
"It's all right." She said as he held her tightly. She kissed his cheek and rested her head on his chest. They held their position for a few moments before Tori turned her head slightly and looked suspiciously at Dustin. "Dustin...They know don't they?" She guessed in an irritable voice not moving from Hunter's arms. Hunter's eyes widened slightly and he also looked at Dustin. Dustin looked at the ground for a second before groaning and throwing his arms up in defeat.  
  
"Yes! Okay? Yes, they know." Dustin told them.  
  
"You told them?" Hunter exclaimed, his arms still firmly around Tori.  
  
"No I didn't! Cam saw you kissing by Tori's van in front of Storm Chargers." Dustin told them.  
  
"You see! I told you someone was going to see us." Tori muttered as she lightly slapped Hunter's arm.  
  
"I'm sorry okay?" He said before a grin appeared on his face. "Anyway, this might turn out to be fun." Tori and Dustin just frowned at him. "They don't know that we know that they know." Hunter told them carefully. Dustin looked at him in confusion while Tori grinned as well as she got his meaning. "So now, we can mess with them a little and have some fun ourselves."  
  
"Does this mean I have to keep another secret?" Dustin groaned, rubbing the back of his head.  
  
"Yep." Hunter nodded. Dustin winced and gave another groan.  
  
"So how are you going to mess with them?" Tori asked him excitedly. Hunter grinned down at her and released her from his hold.  
  
"Okay, this is what we're going to do..."

* * *

"Aw dude, you should have seen her face!" Shane laughed as he told Cam about his afternoon with Tori at the beach yesterday. "I thought she was going to just admitt to everything just to get me to stop pulling her into the water."  
  
"I'm glad you enjoyed yourself." Cam said un-enthustiastically. "Are you going to tell them that you were just messing now that you've had your fun?" Shane let out an amused sigh and let himself relax.  
  
"Yeah, I've tortured her enough I think. I'll tell them as soon as I see either one of them." Shane promised.  
  
"Hey guys. What's up?" Hunter asked as he came up to the counter and leaned on it next to Shane.  
  
"Oh, hey Hunter. I've got something to tell you..." Shane began just as the door opened.  
  
"Hey there Shane." A familiar, yet unfamiliar, female voice gushed seductively from the door. Hunter, Shane and Cam all turned to the door and had to look again to make sure they were seeing right. Tori stood leaning against the door frame looking as, what can only be described, a GIRL! She wore a white skirt that came up just above her knee and a white blouse with the lower few buttons un-done, exposing her flat, toned stmach. Her hair was done up in two pig-tails on the side of her head with fluffy blue hairbands. Her eyes were covered by a pale blue eyeshadow and mascarra while a layer of pink lipstick covered her lips. As they continued to stare at her, she slowly sauntered over to Shane and stepped right up to him.  
  
"Hey dudes. What are you all staring...WOAH!" Dustin began to ask as he came up behind Hunter but stopped and cried out in shock as he saw Tori. "Dude, did she have a break down or something?" He whispered to Hunter.  
  
"It's part of the plan." Hunter told him quietly. He took another look at his girlfriend and shook his head. "I think she went a little over board though." He added with a grimace.  
  
"Err...Hey Tori." Shane greeted nervously, desperately wishing he could take a step away from her.  
  
"So, yesterday was a lot of fun wasn't it?" She said while looking at him with coy eyes, innocently twisting a lock of her hair with her finger.  
  
"Um...Yeah, yesterday was a lot of fun." Shane gulped.  
  
"We'll have to do it again sometime." Tori smiled cutely as she ran a finger down his chest making Hunter's self control almost break. He so badly wanted to burst out laughing right now. Shane looked completely terrified!  
  
"Yeah, definately." Shane agreed, his voice cracking from his nerves. Tori smiled up at him and then took a look around at the three guys around them staring with wide eyes and open mouths.  
  
"I think we might enjoy being alone more though." She mused as she hooked her finger over the collar of his tee-shirt and pulled him down a little. Their lips were millimetres apart and Hunter began to seriously wonder how far Tori was actually going to go with this. "Why don't you come round to my apartment this evening?" She suggested, moving so her lips were right next to his ear and brushed against it slightly whenever her lips moved from her talking. "I could make you dinner and...We'll see how it goes from there." All the guys let out audiable gasps and Shane was completely lost for words. He couldn't think straight! He desperately needed some space.  
  
"Sure. That sounds great." Shane said quickly, praying that would make Tori back off. Tori gave him a cute smile and did move back a little. Shane let out the breath he had been holding and stared at her as if she was crazy.  
  
"I'll see you later then." She winked, blowing him a kiss before sauntering back out of the store. None of them moved. None of them spoke. They just stood there in a stunned silence, trying to take in what had just happened.  
  
"Dude...That was the freakiest thing I think I have ever seen." Dustin murmured breaking the silence. More silence followed.  
  
"Dustin, cover for me." Hunter ordered as he ran out of the store. They all stared after him for a few moments before turning to each other.  
  
"I can't believe that was Tori." Cam said while shaking his head. "I have never seen her dress like that!"  
  
"I didn't even know she owned fluffy hair bands." Dustin told them, staring at the table as if he hoped it held all the answers to their questions.  
  
"And how could she do that to Hunter?" Cam sighed shaking his head. Hearing that, Shane lifted his head and a look of realisation suddenly took over his face. "Poor guy must be really cut up."  
  
"They know!" Shane exclaimed suddenly.  
  
"Who knows what?" Cam asked.  
  
"Hunter and Tori! They know we know!" Shane told him feverdly. "That's what that was all about. They're messing with us for revenge!"  
  
"Oh well dude, it doesn't matter now right?" Dustin said with a cheery laugh. "They know now so it's all over. No more secrets."  
  
"No way! I'm not going to let them beat me!" Shane told him stubbornly. "We still have the advantage because they don't know that we know that they know that we know." Cam gave a sigh and Dustin just looked confused. "So we can still mess with them." He looked at Dustin. "And you're not allowed to tell them."  
  
"Dude, I don't even know who knows what now. You totally lost me." Dustin told him, holding his hands up slightly and backing off over to his bike.

* * *

After leaving Storm Chargers, Hunter had headed straight to the beach where he and Tori had agreed to meet. He arrived to find her just coming out of the sea, her surfboard carried under her arm. He watched as she roughly pushed in into the sand so that it stood up and grabbed the bottle of water that lay on a couple of her towels which she had spread out across the sand. She took a gulp of it before sitting down on one of the towels and then just staring out to sea. He slowly walked over to her and stood behind her for a little while.  
  
"What did you think of my performance?" He heard her say after a little while. He took that as a cue to sit down on the towel next to her.  
  
"It was a little over the top." Hunter told her with a small grin. Tori let out a small laugh and shuffled closer to him. He instinctively put his arm around her and kissed the side of her head. "I didn't know you even had clothes like that." He told her with a laugh. "I would never have dared to think you owned those fluffy hair things. They're so unlike you."  
  
"An old presant from some relative I barely know." Tori explained, smiling at the memory. "The moment me and my dad were alone in the kitchen we just cracked up laughing." Hunter gave a small smile. "I'd forgotten that I had them actually." Tori continued. "I found them in one of the drawers of my dressing table when I was looking for some earrings."  
  
"I don't think they would've noticed the earrings even if you had worn them." Hunter laughed. "I've never seen Shane look so utterly terrified."   
  
They both began to laugh and talk about the other's reactions. After about half an hour, Tori managed to persuade Hunter to come in the sea and surf with her. They spent some of their time in the sea surfing but most of the time they just played around making each other wipe out and then getting into splash fights. During one particularly big wave, Hunter decided to have a little fun and intentionly fell off. After the wave had calmed, Tori came to a rest and sat down on her board. She looked around and noticed that Hunter was no where to be seen. While a part of her felt a pang of worry, the sensible part knew Hunter was just messing around.  
  
"Hunter?" She called suspiciously. "If this is a joke then it's really lame and un-original." Suddenly, she felt her board being pushed from underneath and with a surprised cry, she tumbled off into the water. She came up spluttering and coughing from the sea water she had accidently swallowed and was greeted with the amused smirk of Hunter who floated just in front of her. She scowled at him as she continued to cough. "Can't you think of anything original?" She managed to choke out darkly as she went over to her board and began to pull herself back up onto it. She felt Hunter's arms come around her waist and pull her to him.  
  
"The old ones are always the best." He whispered in her ear as he held her close.  
  
"C'mon, let me go." She sighed as she lightly patted his arm and went to pull away. When his arms didn't release her, she craned her head around to look at him and she was quite surprised at what she saw. He looked so at peace suddenly. His eyes were closed and a small, sweet smile graced his lips. His head rested against her neck and he kept his firm hold around her waist, his right hand splayed across her abdomen. "Hunter?" She whispered gently wondering if there was something wrong.  
  
"You're so beautiful." He murmured back dreamily, his lips barely moving as he said it. Tori was slightly stunned. Even if she had got to know a different side of Hunter over the past few months this was totally out of character for him. The only time he had ever said anything like this was on the night when all this had begun and even then he had dressed it up a little and he hadn't said it in such an emotional voice.  
  
Tori had no idea what to do, something that was becoming somewhat of a regular ocurrance. They floated there for a while, Hunter's arms securly fastened around Tori's waist, Tori's right hand resting on top of Hunter's, before Tori shivered the little. The sky was clouding over and, with the sun now hidden behind a dark blanket, the water was growing colder. Hunter felt her slight shiver and was immediately knocked out of his dreamy state. He pulled away from her and took hold of her hand instead. They grabbed their boards and Hunter led her out of the sea and on to the shore. They went over to their towels and Hunter let go off her hand for a few seconds to bend down and grab one and then quickly wrapped it around her. He pulled the other around himself before turning his attention back to Tori. He gently rubbed her arms to dry her and warm her up. Tori just stared up at him in amazement. He was being so nice. She really wanted to know what had suddenly brought this all on but she was afraid to ask in case it ruined the moment.   
  
"Tori..." Hunter said quietly as he continued to rub her arms. She focused on him and saw a look in his eyes she'd never seen before. She found it hard to describe. It was sort of deadly serious yet there was something soft and emotional about it as well. "Tori, I..." He began but suddenly looked up and behind her. He seemed to see something and slowly stepped away from her. Tori frowned at him in confusion and he wiggled his eyebrows a little while inclining his head behind her. She turned around and found Shane coming towards them.  
  
"Great timing Shane." Tori muttered under her breathe. She gave a sigh before putting on her sultry smile. He came up to her and gave her a brilliant smile. "Hey there." Tori cooed.  
  
"Hey." Shane replied in the same tone, surprising her a little though she hid it well. "I was thinking about tonight." He told her. Tori smiled mentaly thinking that victory was just around the corner. Hunter grabbed Tori's bottle of water and smirked a little as he began to take a sip.  
  
"Oh yeah?" Tori said coyly. "What about it?"  
  
"I was just thinking that if all goes well, maybe you could make me breakfast to." They suddenly heard Hunter choke on his water behind them and Tori was suddenly very un-sure of herself.  
  
"Yeah...Sure. That sounds...Great." Tori replied, managing to maintain her filrty attitude to a certain extent.  
  
"Cool. I'll see you tonight then." Shane sad as he turned and walked away, a huge grin spreading across his face once his back was turned.  
  
Tori slowly turned to Hunter who was still coughing from the water. "Okay, it's official. We've entered the Twilight Zone." Tori said as she went back over to Hunter and gently patted his back more as a sign of comfort than to actually help him.  
  
"He knows." Hunter muttered after he finally got his coughing under control.  
  
"Do you reckon?" Tori asked as she ran her towel over her body quickly to dry herself.  
  
"Definately." Hunter nodded, his tone showing he was really annoyed.  
  
"Oh well, I guess it's all over then." Tori sighed, secretly pleased.  
  
"Oh no it isn't." Hunter told her. She let out a small groan and got ready for his explanation. "We have the advantage." He told her enthusiastically. "They don't know that we know that they know than we know that they know." Tori stared at him for a second before shaking her head and folding up her towel.  
  
"Does it really matter anymore Hunter?" She questioned tiredly as she took his towel and folded it up as well.  
  
"Of course it matters!" Hunter cried. "They are not going to beat us."  
  
"Fine. Whatever." Tori grunted as she grabbed her surfboard under her right arm and carried the towels under her left. As they left the beach, Hunter began to explain to her exactly what to do when Shane came to her's for dinner and, un-known to them, Shane was planning the same thing with Cam and Dustin.

* * *

The light at the end of the tunnel is in sight! I'm so close to it. There's just one more chapter and maybe an epilouge to go. So, everyone stay tuned for the final chapter; Game over  
  
Huggles  
Wings of a Dream


	6. Game over

Hi everyone :)  
  
It's here! I repeat, IT IS HERE! The final chapter is finally here. I'll leave all the mushy good-byes until the end and before we launch into the story, we have to have reviews;  
  
monkay-pooh : wow, thanks for the huge compliment :) I do actually want to be a writer. I've got loads of originals on various discs but at the moment I'm too into Ninja Storm to focus on anything original lol.  
  
And a big thank you to Katy, Ranger lover, CamFan4Ever, malissa, huntersgrl13, Sabrina, Makia Durron and Moonlit Sea for all reviewing :)  
  
The ideas in the whole of the first two sections of this chapter is totally taken from Friends so I can take no credit for it. The only original bit is the last section on the beach.  
  
And now, without furthur ado, I present to you...The final chapter! :o

* * *

It was finally here. Evening. The time Tori had been dreading. Shane would be there any minute and then the final battle was going to happen. The battle to see who was going to hold out the longest. If she had her way, she would've just let Shane have the satisfactory of winning but she couldn't because Hunter wanted to win. She didn't see the big deal really. Did it really matter who was the first to snap? Well, it obviously did to Hunter which was the reason she now stood in front of her bedroom mirror looking at a reflection she didn't realise.  
  
"You look great." Hunter's voice came suddenly. She looked more closely at her mirror and saw the reflection of Hunter standing by the door. "How comes you don't dress like that more often?"  
  
"Because I hate dressing like this." Tori sighed as she turned away from the mirror and walked past Hunter through the door way and headed for the kitchen. Hunter followed her and watched as she pulled various vegetables out of her fridge and began to make a quick salad.  
  
"Are you okay?" Hunter inquired, slightly concerned about how she was acting.  
  
"Fine." Tori told him bluntly as she grabbed a knife and began to chop up some tomatos. Hunter simply watched as she hurridly sliced the little red balls. Suddenly, her finger got in the way of slicing and she accidently cut herself. She pulled her hand back with an annoyed "ow" and suck the bleeding finger into her mouth. She glared down at the tomatos like it was their fault until she felt Hunter pull her hand with the injured finger on it. He pulled a tissue out of his pocket and gently wrapped it around her finger. All Tori could do was look away and try her best not to cry. After tying a small knot to keep the material into place, Hunter pulled her into a gently hug.  
  
"Calm down okay?" He murmured soothingly as he rubbed her hair. "I know you feel uncomfortable but it'll be over soon." Suddenly, they heard the front doorbell ring. Tori let out a shakey sigh and slowly pulled away. "You ready?" Hunter asked her, gently cupping her face. She nodded a little and he gave her a quick kiss on her lips. "I'll be hiding in the bathroom remember." He said as he quickly dashed out of the kitchen. Tori gave another sigh, quickly brushed her fingers against her eyes to get rid of any stray tears and blinked a couple of times. She walked to her front door and took a deep breath before opening the door...

* * *

"Okay, you ready dude?" Dustin checked as he adjusted his friends collar. He, Shane and Cam were outside Tori's apartment getting ready for him to knock on the door.  
  
"Yeah, I'm ready." Shane nodded as he shrugged his shoulders to try and loosen up. "You'll both stay out here right?"  
  
"Yes, we'll be here listening." Cam told him.  
  
"Okay. Cool. Right, lets get this show on the road." Shane said as he turned to the door. Dustin and Cam quickly hid around a corner and Shane rang the doorbell. A few seconds later, the door opened to reveal Tori in her girly form.  
  
"Hey Shane." She greeted in her flirty voice.  
  
"Hey. You look great." He said. Tori gave a faked embarrassed giggle making Shane start to think something was definately up. She took his hand and led him into the living room.  
  
"I hope you're hungry." Tori said coyly as she turned to face him. "I've made all your favourites and for desert..." She stepped right up to him. "I'll put on something special." That was it. Shane knew something wasn't right.  
  
"Excuse me." Shane said quickly as he dashed back to the front door. Tori gave a laugh and saw Hunter poke his head out of the door. She gave him a small thumbs up which made him grin and wink before his head disappeared again and the door shut.  
  
"They know!" Shane gasped as he burst out of the door. Cam and Dustin emerged from their hiding places in the bushes nearby and walked up to him. "They know that we know that they know that we know."  
  
"Good. Can I go home now?" Cam asked.  
  
"No way. I'm not giving up." Shane insisted. "I still have the advantage! They don't know that we know that they know that..."  
  
"Yes, we get it." Cam told him cutting him off halfway through. "I think you're past the point where that actually matters Shane. This is just a contest to see who cracks first now."  
  
"Well it's not going to be me." Shane insisted. "I need something serious though. Something that will really freak her out. Got any ideas guys?" They all thought for a moment and then Dustin clicked his fingers.  
  
"Dude, ask her to rub lotion on you. I saw that on a TV show. It'll definately make her snap." Dustin told him.  
  
"Okay. Got it." Shane said with a nod. He went back in Tori's apartment and found she was no longer in the living room where he had left her. "Tor?" He called.  
  
"Hey." She smiled as she came out of the kitchen. "Where'd you go? I missed you." She cooed as she slowly walked up to him.  
  
"I just needed a bit of air." Shane told her. He grinned at her suddenly and his eyes took on a mischievous glint. "So, how much longer 'till we eat."  
  
"About another fifteen minutes." Tori told him, keeping up her act on the outside but inside feeling nervous about the glint in Shae's eyes.  
  
"How about while we wait..." He hesitated for a moment and seemed to be gathering up his courage. "You rub lotion on me?" He finished, his voice slightly cracking on the last few words. Tori stared at him in a mixture of horror and embarrassment.  
  
"O...Kay." Tori said slowly, her act totally gone now. "I'll be right back with some then." She said quickly as she ran into her bathroom. Shane felt like punching a wall and quickly headed outside.  
  
Once outside, Dustin and Cam emerged. Shane brought his hands to his face and ran them down his cheeks with a groan. "I thought you said the lotion thing would make her snap? She didn't snap, she's actually getting the lotion!" He muttered to Dustin.  
  
"It didn't work? Oh yeah, it didn't work on the show either...But I thought it would definately work on Tori." Dustin told him quickly.  
  
"Now what do I do?" Shane cried scratching the back of his neck. "I cannot take much more of this. I have never been so embarrassed in my entire life!" Once again they all thought for a moment and it was Dustin who once again came up with an idea.  
  
"Dude, strip down to your underwear." He said enthustiastically. "There is no way that won't freak her out."  
  
"That won't freak her out. She's seen me half naked before." Shane told him, waving his hand dismissively.  
  
"Yeah, but not in such an intense, personal situation." Dustin reasoned. "Before it's just been on the beach and that one time where we had to change out of our wet clothes at her house when we got soaked by the rain. This time, she's gonna think you like her and it'll stop being like, an innocent thing." Shane and Cam both looked at him, amazed.  
  
"That actually makes sense." Cam said, his voice reflecting his surprise. Dustin grinned in triumph at his idea and Shane gave a sigh.  
  
"Okay. That's what I'll do." Shane agreed, nodding his head. He turned to Dustin and frowned a little. "Wait a minute, why are you helping? I thought you were against messing with them?"  
  
"Dude, I just want this all to end." Dustin sighed. "The sooner you make Tori break the sooner I don't ahve to keep secrets anymore." Shane felt a small wave of guilt wash over him as he realised Dustin was in this against his will and he briefly wondered if Tori and Hunter were feeling the same things. He gave a mental sigh and walked back inside but didn't close the door again. Dustin and Cam, having a feeling things were going to get interesting, silently followed Shane inside and hide behind the door that led from the hall into the living room.  
  
While the three guys had this conversation outside, Hunter and Tori were having their own conversation in the bathroom.  
  
Tori suddenly burst through the door snapping Hunter out of his gaze out of the open window. He looked at her as she slammed the door shut and pressed herself against it. "What's wrong?" Hunter questioned as he came over to her.  
  
"This is getting seriously out of hand!" She gasped, her eyes fixed to the floor, her breathing laboured for some reason. "He wants me to rub lotion on him!" Hunter gave a laugh and Tori glared at him and slapped his arm none too gently. "It's not funny!" She insisted angrily. "What am I supposed to do?!"  
  
"Okay, this is what you do." Hunter began as he rubbed his slapped arm. "Take the lotion out there. The moment he thinks you're actually going to do it he'll crack. I know he will."  
  
"You think so?" Tori murmured un-surely.  
  
"I know so." He reassured. He turned and opened the medicine cabinet on the wall and found a bottle of baby lotion. He pulled it out and handed it to her. "Okay, you're all set. Go out there and make me proud." He encouraged giving her a quick kiss before opening the door and hurrying her out. Tori backed out of the door and stared at it for a few seconds before turning around. The moment she looked into the room she regretted coming out straight away. Shane stood in the middle of the room in nothing but a pair of red boxer shorts. Tori let out a small cry and snapped her head to the floor.  
  
"Something wrong?" Shane purred suductively. Tori scrunched her eyes shut and clutched the bottle of lotion toghtly as she tried to find her voice.  
  
"No." She managed to squeak out.  
  
"Aren't you going to look at me then?" Shane grinned as he stepped towards her.  
  
"I'd rather not." Tori said quickly, feeling Shane's approach and fighting every muscle in her body which was trying to make her run away. She had to stay strong. This was all pretend. They were both faking it. She couldn't give up. She couldn't let Hunter down...But he was right in front of her! She could feel his presence. She felt him lift her chin up and she reluctantly opened her eyes to see him staring down at her.  
  
"I could kiss you right now." He whispered nervously.   
  
Tori gulped and decided to call his bluff. "Why don't you then?"  
  
Shane mentaly screamed. He had been hoping she wasn't going to say something like that. "I guess I will then."  
  
"Okay then." Tori replied, knowing that this was the event that was going to decide who came out on top in this.  
  
"Here I come then." Shane said as he began to lean down closer.  
  
"Bring it on." Tori said with an un-sure confidence.  
  
As the two drew closer, they were un-aware of the two doors opening slightly. Hunter, Dustin and Cam all watched with baited breath as their friends drew ever closer together. They were so close. Tori could feel Shane's warm breath and knew he was actually going to kiss her. He was actually going to go the whole way! Tori squinted her eyes shut and waited for a split second before quickly backing away and throwing her hands up in front of her.  
  
"No!" She cried as she came to a stop, her hands still held up in front of her defensively. "No no no! I can't kiss you!"  
  
"And why not?" Shane asked triumphantly.  
  
"Because I'm in love with Hunter!" Tori cried defiantly. Shane's mouth dropped open and so did Cam's, Dustin's and Hunter's. "That's the reason I can't kiss you! Because I love Hunter!" Cam, Dustin and Hunter slowly emerged from their hiding places. Hunter carefully approached Tori, a small, disbelieving smile on his face.  
  
"You love me?" Hunter gasped quietly.  
  
"Yeah." Tori confirmed, shocked at herself for actually plucking up the courage to say it. "I love you Hunter." Hunter gave a small laugh and wrapped his arms around her.  
  
"I love you as well." He gushed as he gently pressed his lips to her's.  
  
"I thought you guys were just messing around. I never knew you were in love." Shane smiled, meaning that to come out as an apology. Tori and Hunter broke the kiss but kept their arms around each other. "Congratulations guys."  
  
"Thanks." Tori smiled looking at him. She cleared her throat a little and looked down at the floor. "Shane, you're naked." She reminded him.  
  
"Oh, dude!" he gasped as he grabbed his near by shirt and quickly pulled it on. They all smirked at him before turning their attention back to the happy couple.  
  
"So, you're a real couple now." Dustin said happily. "Now that you're out in the open and everything I mean."  
  
"Yeah, but we have a favour to ask you all." Tori told them.  
  
"We'd really appreciate it if you don't tell Blake if you talk to him. I want to be the one to tell him the next time I go and visit." Hunter explained. Cam and Shane nodded but Dustin gave a groan.  
  
"You mean I have to keep another secret?!" He moaned. "Dude, that sucks."

* * *

It was mid-night when Tori and Hunter could be found walking hand in hand along the beach. They had spent most of the evening with the others after the whole scenario with Tori and Shane had ended and they had eaten all the food Tori had made. Now, they were finally alone and just enjoying each others company. The part of the beach they were on was where their whole relationship had begun. That night all those months ago. It seemed like an eternity had passed since then, so much had happened. The couple came to a stop at the shore line and stared out at the sea.  
  
"What a day." Tori sighed as Hunter hugged her from behind.  
  
"And it's my fault. I'm sorry I pushed you so hard Tor." Hunter murmured, his warm breath gently tickling her neck.  
  
"It doesn't matter." Tori assured leaning back against him. "I knew how much you wanted to win and who am I to hurt your macho pride?" She grinned, reaching around and poking him in his tickly spot. He flinched away and smirked before pouncing on her and beginning a tickle fight. For several minutes they just rolled around, trying to pin each other. After a while, when Tori was on top of Hunter, they calmed down and just looked into each others eyes. Hunter smiled up at her and gently kissed her lips. Tori smiled back weakly before looking away, the smile fading from her lips.  
  
"What's the matter?" Hunter asked as she moved off of him and he pulled her into his arms. Tori hugged him back and buried her head in his shoulder.  
  
"I'm going to miss you." She murmured. Hunter gave a sigh and gently stroked her hair. In a couple of days, he'd be leaving for a month to visit Blake. He knew how she was feeling, he was going to miss her as well. He kissed the side of her head and gently pulled her head up to look at him.  
  
"It's only for a month." He whispered. "I'll be back before you know it. And it's not like we won't have any contact. I'll call you everyday." Tori gave him another weak smile and kissed him lingeringly. She slowly pulled away and rested her head against his chest.  
  
"I love you." She murmured softly. A huge smile appeared on Hunter's face and he took a brief glance down at her.  
  
"And I love you." He replied with equal softness. He looked back up and stared out to the moonlit sea again.   
  
If you had asked either Hunter of Tori a few months ago if they were happy, they probably would have just shrugged and given some vague answer that neither confirmed or denied they were happy. If you asked them that question right now, you probably wouldn't be given an answer, not that you needed one anyway. It was obvious from the content smiles both shared that they were both happier than they had been for ages...Because they were no longer alone and the game was finally over.

* * *

Sniff...There you have it. My first ever series has finished...sniff...There will be no epilouge because one isn't needed...sniff...I'd like to thank everyone who has read this including those who will read it in the future after it's been completed and been sitting around for months...sniff...Dude, I'm so emotional lol. As you may have noticed, I've left things in there that can be used in a sequel but they're nothing so major that just in case I don't write a sequel you'll be wondering what the heck is gonna happen. It looks like a sequel is highly demanded so there will be one unless my mind just totally draws blank lol. Before I write the sequel though, I'm gonna write a Tori/Blake and/or a Tori/Dustin. I've been seeing a lot of episodes where there are major Tori/Blake hints and it's in my system now so I need to let it out before I can concentrate on Tori/Hunter. Also, I've only just realised how great a character Dustin is and, 'cause I'm not keen on Marah, I'm gonna try and pair him off with Tori :) I would try pairing him with Shane or Hunter but I'm terrible at writing slash lol.  
  
Well, that's all I've to say. Take care 'till next time ya'll :)  
Huggles  
Wings of a Dream 


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